


I Promise You {HIATUS}

by bubblemiyabi



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Fantasizing, Hint of masturbation, If you don’t like then don’t read, Jinyoung is worried and confused, Jinyoung wants to find out, Light Angst, M/M, Minhyun is self loathing, One-Sided Attraction, Touching
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-04-14 14:13:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14137713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblemiyabi/pseuds/bubblemiyabi
Summary: Minhyun can no longer see Jinyoung merely as a sweet dongsaeng, and he's afraid to talk to anyone about it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> New challenge with new pairing... I love all those sweet HwangDeep interactions and moments so I decide to write a story about them. Not sure how it's going to turn out and English isn't my native language so please let me know what you all think.
> 
> Mature rating for now just to be safe. New tags may be added later.

Bidding one another “good night” has become a daily routine since Wanna One members are now split into 9th floor and 11th floor. Minhyun is just about to exit the elevator at 9th floor when Jinyoung quickly wraps his arms around Minhyun for a hug.

“Hyung good night.”

Smiling at the boy whose face is buried on his shoulder, Minhyun reaches to touch Jinyoung’s soft hair and bids goodbye to the youngster.

Like usual, it’s already extremely late by the time they finish their schedule so all the boys take quick showers and get ready for bed as soon as they can. When everyone is asleep, a figure quietly gets up, walks across the pitch dark dorm to the bathroom next to the livingroom.

Minhyun turns on the light, staring at his own reflection in the mirror.

 

He knows too well that this is wrong and he shouldn’t be doing this, but yet here he is — again. 

 

“You’re like Jinyoungie’s real hyung Minhyun ah~ He has gotten so close to you.”

That’s what Jisung said when they returned to the dorm and all Minhyun could do was smiling — and hiding away the bitterness.

 

_…Yeah…_

 

_…A real hyung… ___

__

__Minhyun doesn’t remember when did his feeling for Jinyoung start to change. But if meeting Jinyoung was the start, then every detail, every moment and every piece of memory he shared with Jinyoung had been embedded in Minhyun’s life before he realized it._ _

__Sometimes Minhyun wants to ask Seongwu how it was like when the Wanna One moodmaker first realized that he had feeling for Daniel? Did he think about Daniel at night? When things got a little harder and embarrassing, would he do something to relax himself? Did he ever feel guilty doing it?_ _

__But very often Minhyun finds himself unable to bring up the subject._ _

__He can’t talk about it because he and Seongwu are in completely different situations: Daniel and Seongwu always have their own little world that no one can intrude. Everyone can tell there is mutual attraction, and it’s up to them to decide what they want to be and what’s in their best interest. Jinyoung and him are merely just “hyung and dongsaeng” when Daniel and Seongwu are more than that._ _

__He can’t talk about it because Jinyoung is still young. He can’t talk about how his hands would linger on Jinyoung a bit longer, not wanting to let go of the younger when he pulled away from their embrace._ _

__He can’t talk about it because he doesn’t want his members to have negative impression of him having feelings for younger boys. He’s not into boys, he’s just into Jinyoung._ _

__He can’t talk about it because he doesn’t want to make Jinyoung uncomfortable. His time with Jinyoung as Wanna One is limited and Minhyun only wants good memories to stay._ _

__Despite all of these thoughts running through his mind, Minhyun has already positioned himself in the bathtub. With his back leaning against one side of the bathtub, Minhyun’s right hand shakily covers the harden area between his legs._ _

__“Jinyoungie… I’m so sorry…”_ _

__

_I told myself I wouldn’t do it again… I really did…_

__

__Minhyun tightly shuts his eyes when he pulls down his sweatpants and boxer. While Minhyun's hands begin to do their job and his brain desperately tries to ignore Jinyoung's innocent and sweet smile, Minhyun's heart can’t help wondering how will Jinyoung look if one day he can hold Jinyoung like this in his arms._ _


	2. Chapter 2

Jinyoung drinks his water and glances toward Minhyun, who is standing not too far from him and speaking with staff members after their rehearsal.

They’ve know each other for more than one year, and Jinyoung still wonders: 

 

_How can someone be this handsome like Minhyun hyung?_

 

He and Minhyun weren’t close during their Produce 101 days. They weren’t in the same class, Hands on Me was the first stage they perform together, and they were actually a bit awkward in those very early days of Wanna One’s debut.

As time goes by, things start to change.

The more he gets to know Minhyun, the more he understands where Minhyun was coming from before Produce 101. Minhyun is like an older brother Jinyoung has never had, and he wishes only good things will happen to Minhyun and Nu’est from now on. 

At the same time, he can’t help feeling a bit jealous as well. He can only be on the same team with Minhyun for a little more than an year, while his other Nu’est sunbaes can forever refer to Minhyun as their member.

That’s probably the biggest reason why Jinyoung enjoys being babied by Minhyun so much, besides being the oldest child in the family and always has to watch out for his younger brother and sister. He loves it when Minhyun tucks him into bed, runs those long fingers through his hairs when he’s tired while riding in their van, tells him to blow dry his wet hair before he gets sick… 

As for Minhyun’s “overly affectionate” skinship, Jinyoung really doesn’t dislike it in any way. Whether it’s Minhyun putting an arm around his shoulder almost every time they stand next to each other, Minhyun blowing kisses at him, or the two of them sleeping together when Jinyoung got scared after watching a horror movie…

To Jinyoung, those are moments that will only last for a short amount of time, but memories that will last forever.

 

——————————

**Chile**

“Minhyun ah, someone requested to share a room with you tonight so I’ll be rooming with Daehwi instead.”

Minhyun looks up to Sungwoon, his eyes a bit confused.

“Who?”  
“Jinyoungie, all because he misses being tucked into bed by Emperor Hwang,” Sungwoon smiles. “Anyways, just give you a headsup.”

Fine. Jinyoung is not going to deny that he misses being babied by Minhyun before bedtime, but also because they just don’t have much time to have quality chats now that their dorms are in two separate floors. 

“Um… hyung, can I sleep with you tonight?”

Minhyun is getting ready for bed when Jinyoung asks the question. Jinyoung immediately waves his hand, trying to brush off the subject when he sees the surprised look on Minhyun’s face.

“Never mind! Hyung you must be tired after today’s show so you should sleep well. Good night!”  
“It’s okay, the bed is huge anyways. Come here!”

Jinyoung happily pulls open the sheets and moves toward the wall side, leaving enough space for Minhyun. After packing everything away, Minhyun settles himself into the bed and smiling at Jinyoung who’s hiding half of his face under the sheet.

“Why do you want to sleep with me all of a sudden? Did you watch a horror movie earlier?”  
“Nothing, I don't get to hang out with you as much and I just realized that it’s almost late March already…”

Minhyun stares at Jinyoung momentarily before reaching over to brush Jinyoung’s soft hair.

“I know, so let’s make the best of this year. Good night Jinyoungie.”  
“Good night hyung~”

 

——————————

 

Other than the light outside the bathroom, the room is pitch dark with only the sound of peaceful breathing. Jinyoung is slightly awake when it feels like a force pulling him backward and his back is touching something. Jinyoung tries to look behind him, it’s Minhyun in deep sleep with his arm around Jinyoung’s waist and his hand placed on Jinyoung’s stomach.

 

_…Does hyung has a habit of holding onto something when he sleeps?…_

 

Jinyoung becomes more awake when Minhyun’s hand starts to move. Not knowing what to do, Jinyoung freezes at the spot holding both hands in front of his chest.

 

_…Is Minhyun hyung dreaming?…_

 

The area Minhyun’s hand travels is getting larger like his hand is roaming Jinyoung’s body although they are fully clothed. Jinyoung’s back is now completely touching Minhyun’s chest, and he can feel Minhyun's hot breathing on his neck. Jinyoung can’t help covering his mouth with both hands so he won’t make any noise, because his body is feeling something he’s never experienced before.

“……Jinyoungie……”

The voice coming from behind is really soft like something is floating in the air. Jinyoung’s eyes widen, but Minhyun doesn’t seem to realize what’s happening. When he feels something hot and hard sticking on his butt and a hand lightly brush over the area between his legs, Jinyoung is getting scared.

“…Hyung…”

Jinyoung’s natural instinct kicks in and he grabs the hand, stopping it from advancing further. What immediately go away are the warmth that’s been on Jinyoung’s back the whole time. With his heart still pounding faster than usual, Jinyoung carefully sits up and look behind him. He can’t really see Minhyun’s facial expression because the room is dark, but he can still see Minhyun sitting there in silence. Before Jinyoung can say a word, Minhyun scrambles out of bed and runs into the bathroom.

 

————————-

 

Minhyun doesn’t bother to take off his t-shirt and sweatpants. He stumbles into the shower stall, turns on the faucet and lets the icy cold water pours directly onto his entire body. 

 

What a nightmare.

 

Resting his hands on the wall, Minhyun glances downward at his crotch area and he can’t help clenching his fists.

 

_…Fuck you Hwang Minhyun…_


	3. Chapter 3

“Okay! We’re done, thank you boys!”  
“Thank you!!!”

Wanna One members begin walking off the set and thanking all the staff members. Jinyoung looks around and Minhyun, who was standing right next to him during the photoshoot, is already nowhere in sight.

Although he’s not surprised, Jinyoung’s heart still sinks a little every time it happens. 

 

_“I’m very sorry.”_  
_“Please don’t tell Jisung hyung and others.”_  
_“It won’t happen again, I promise.”_

 

Ever since that late-night incident in Chile, Minhyun has been avoiding any chance of being near Jinyoung for too long. When he has no choice but to stand next to Jinyoung for photoshoot or sit next to Jinyoung during variety show recording, Minhyun avoids having eye contact with the youngster and keeps their body contact as limited as possible. There are so many questions on Jinyoung’s mind about what happened that night, but he’s not sure how to ask without being rude or inconsiderate. Besides, it’s not like Minhyun is giving him chance to do it anyways.

The sudden awkwardness between Minhyun and Jinyoung has become so obvious that Sungwoon decides to make his roommate talk.

 

—————————

 

“Hey, what’s going on between you and Jinyoungie? You two have been acting so weird since we came back from Chile.”  
“…Nothing.”  
“And you actually think I’ll let you brush it off like that… Put down that god damn shirt, you’re going to wear it for tomorrow anyways so you don’t need to fold it.”

Minhyun quietly tosses away the shirt, this is the first time Sungwoon raises his voice at Minhyun in a serious way.

“Judging from the way the poor boy looks every time you walk away, it doesn’t look like you guys had a fight or argument. Other guys have noticed too so you two better sort out your differences before things get out of hand.”

Sungwoon is just about to continue his rambling when Minhyun bends over holding his face with both hands. He gets up to sit next to Minhyun and is startled to hear Minhyun weeping softly.

“Hey hey hey… Sorry I must have sounded demanding but I really didn’t mean it in a bad way…,” says Sungwoon, rubbing Minhyun’s back in a comforting way. “Aigoo Minhyun ah I’m so sorry…”

Minhyun shakes his head, hurriedly wiping away the tears.

“No hyung it’s not your fault. I was just… ugh it’s just too overwhelming but I don’t know how to talk to anyone about it… Or, I’m afraid to talk about it.”

Confused by Minhyun’s comment but waiting for the younger to calm down, Sungwoon is just about to talk when someone knocks on their door.

“Yes?”  
“Sungwoon ah, can I borrow that — Minhyunnie?”

 

_Oh no… Jisung hyung…_

 

The sign of crying on Minhyun’s miserable face immediately catches the attention of Wanna One's resident mom. Jisung rushes to Minhyun’s side — it’s rare to see the vulnerable side of Minhyun who has always been the most reliable one on the team.

“What happened?” 

Jisung asks Sungwoon, who is looking equally worried.

“I asked him if anything happened between him and Jinyoung, hyung we talked about this earlier today… Anyways, Minhyun just started crying and he said he’s afraid to talk about it…” Sungwoon says.

Shifting his gaze back to Minhyun, who still has his head down, Jisung leans over to hug Minhyun tightly.

“You know, I see Wanna One as my last chance and you guys are the best thing that has ever happened to me. By the time our contract is up, as a leader I don’t want anyone to leave the team with ill feeling or bad memories. So help me, okay?”

Jisung releases Minhyun but looks at Minhyun straight in the eyes.

“It looks pretty clear to me by now that whatever happened, it wasn’t some sort of childish argument but something much more stressful and heavier.”  
“Hyung, I… I really don’t know…”  
“I don’t judge people, and so does Sungwoon. We just really want to help. Minhyunnie, please.”

Biting his bottom lips, Minhyun looks from Jisung to Sungwoon and back to Jisung again, his voice shaky.

“…Actually…I…”

 

——————————

 

Several days later, Jinyoung is surprised to find Minhyun visiting their floor — looking for him. In the room that Jinyoung shares with Daehwi, the two sit next to each other on Jinyoung’s lower bunk in silence until Minhyun gathers enough courage to talk.

“I’m really sorry for the way I’ve been treating you lately… and about what happened in Chile. I know I already apologized but still…”  
“…Hyung we can just let it go, it didn’t really bother me that much.”

 

_I have so many questions, but if it’s giving you such a hard time and keeping you away from me… Then I rather put those questions behind me and let everything be normal again._

 

“I can’t, Jinyoung ah.”  
“It was an accident, right? And hyung you are adult so it was normal —”  
“It was not!!!”

Minhyun’s sudden outburst shuts Jinyoung up, who’s now staring at Minhyun with his mouth slightly open.

“……What is that supposed to mean?”  
“I… Well, it was kind of an accident but also kind of not —”  
“Hyung you are rambling and it's really confusing! Please just tell me what’s going on.”

Letting out a long and heavy sigh, Minhyun stares down at his own hands, nervously holding onto each other.

“…I like you, Jinyoungie. Not like a little brother or group member, but like I’m attracted to you… I don’t remember when did it start but it’s been a while. I fantasize about you too, I’m not proud of it but that’s a fact. I've been keeping it to myself because I can’t risk hurting you and the team, and what happened in Chile was the first time things got out of my control… I’m so sorry, you must be feeling really weird now.”

The silence in the room seems like a suffocating eternity. Minhyun still can’t look at Jiyoung, afraid to see what kind of look may be on the youngster’s face right now, afraid to imagine what the youngster may be thinking.

He isn't expecting a pair of long arms reaching over to wrap around his shoulders, with a bit hesitation at first but determination in the end.

“Jinyoungie…?”  
“…I don’t care what kind of feeling you have for me… You can think of me as a little brother, a teammate, or something more whatever you want to call it. You are still the same Minhyun hyung to me,” says Jinyoung, with his face buried near Minhyun’s neck. “But I don’t like it when you become distant with me and ignore me like I don’t exist.”

Jinyoung’s words tug at Minhyun’s heartstrings. He turns toward Jinyoung’s side, carefully lift up that adorable face with both hands. With a small smile on his face, Minhyun is relieved that Jinyoung still looks at him the same way as before.

“Thank you, what you said means a lot to me. I was so busy hiding myself but end up hurting you more.”  
“I still have a question though…”  
“What is it?”  
“So… hyung do you like guys?”  
“…I honestly don’t know, you are the first one ever so… Oh, and please don’t worry about answering me or returning my feeling.”  
“……”  
“I don’t want to make you confused about yourself in any way or give you burden, okay?”

Without a word, Jinyoung nods as a sign of agreement to Minhyun’s request. He is still pondering over Minhyun’s words when the older boy pulls him into a quiet embrace.


	4. Chapter 4

It is a peaceful and relaxing evening when Wanna One gathers at 9th floor to eat fried chicken, and Daniel carefully and sincerely announces to the group that he and Seongwu have decided to start a relationship.

“Instead of ambiguity and ‘some’, I just think it’s better to make things clear so I took the initiative to talk to Seogwu hyung and sort things out… We don’t know what is going to happen in the future, but we want to give it a try,” says Daniel, stealing a glance at Seongwu who’s sitting next to him. “I can assure you guys that we won’t let it affect our work. You are not required to like our decision, but we hope you guys can understand.”

Daniel and Seongwu didn’t check with each member beforehand to get a sense of everyone’s opinion, and they feel nervous after addressing everyone about their new relationship status. They have thought about all kinds of questions and reactions their members may have, but they definitely did not expect the following conversations —

 

 **Woojin:** Guys, you all owe me 30,000 won in total.  
**Jihoon:** Ughhhh!! Fine I’ll give it to you later.  
**Daehwi:** No it should be 20,000 won, you need to split with Jaehwan hyung.  
**Woojin:** Why? Jaehwan hyung chose the “After” option.  
**Jaehwan:** I changed my bet few days ago, so that’ll be 20,000 for each of us.  
**Woojin:** Hyung how can you do that? That’s so not fair.  
**Jaehwan:** Sorry~~~~~~~

 

“Wait, wait… what’s going on? Did you guys make a bet?” Seongwu asks.  
“Woojin, Jihoon, Daehiw and Jaehwan each put in 10,000 won and made a bet whether you two will get together before or after Wanna One’s contract is up,” Sungwoon explains. “They also asked me but I personally didn’t want to get my money involved~”

A dumbstruck Daniel looks around his fellow members.

“…So… you guys already thought that… this will happen?”  
“I~~~ think so?” Kuanlin answers, looking around the room with a knowing smile on his face. “Hyung you guys have only been getting more and more obvious since Produce.”

Daniel and Seongwu look to each other, all they can do is smile shyly and quickly turn away. The members give their blessing, and the rest of the fried chicken party continues smoothly until it’s time for Daniel, Seongwu, Woojin, Jihoon, Jinyoung and Daehwi to return to 11th floor.

“I’m really happy for you two,” says Minhyun, hugging Daniel and Seongwu tightly as they bid each other goodnight at the door. “It won’t be easy, but I’m sure you two can work together.”  
“We will, thanks hyung.”  
“Thanks a lot MInhyun ah.”

After letting go of Daniel and Seongwu, Minhyun sees Jinyoung quietly standing in the corner. He reaches out, motioning the younger boy to come over.

“Jinyoung ah, goodnight.”  
“…Goodnight hyung.”

The two share a quick and light hug before Jinyoung leaves. Minhyun notices how Jinyoung has been mostly quiet after learning the news about Daniel and Seongwu, and the younger boy seems to have something on his mind when he leaves.

 

_Hopefully he’s not feeling stressed about it…_

 

————————————

 

“Are you alright?”

Jisung walks over to sit across from Minhyun who’s drinking a mug of hot chocolate at the dining table. It’s only the two of them — Sungwoon is in shower, Kuanlin and Jaehwan are minding their own business in their rooms after the 9th floor became quiet again.

“Hm?”  
“I’m talking about Daniel and Seongwu.”  
“Of course I am happy for them, hyung do you think I won’t?”  
“I know you are, I’m just worried about you and Jinyoungie.”

Minhyun look straight into Jisung’s eyes with a small smile on his face.

“There’s nothing to worry about, hyung. I’m not asking him to return my feeling, I don’t even want him to consider it. He’s still a kid and the last thing I want to do is to make him feel confused about himself. Daniel and Seongwu can face the unknown together, but I don’t have the confidence and ability to protect Jinyoung, not yet anyways.”

Jisung looks back at Minhyun, looking so peaceful and calm like he’s talking about other people’s business. It’s kind of hard to put this Minhyun together with the Minhyun who broke down in front of him and Sungwoon.

“I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and sense of responsibility,” says Jisung. “But I also want you to be happy, Minhyun ah."  
“I will, hyung. In a way that doesn’t harm Jingyoungie, though.”

 

————————————---

 

The only source of lighting in Jinyoung and Daehwi’s room right now is Jinyoung’s cell phone, he is watching a newly uploaded fancam of him and Minhyun together.

It was a few days after Minhyun’s confession when Jinyoung stumbled across a short one-shot fan fiction written about him and Minhyun. The story’s idea came from a short fancam taken at one of the numerous signing events, so Jinyoung clicked onto the link to watch the video. Since then, Jinyoung has been browsing through photos on fansites created for him and Minhyun together, and fancam clips that capture moments between him and Minhyun.

Jinyoung thinks back to Daniel and Seongwu’s announcement, and how genuinely happy did they look.

 

_That must be something Minhyun hyung wants… to love and be loved and be happy…_

 

Even though Minhyun told him not to worry about it, but Jinyoung just can’t ignore the feeling of something nagging in his heart.

 

——————————

 

Seongwu is on his way back to his room after taking shower when he sees Jinyoung exiting the room he shares with Daniel. Tilting his head at the serious look on Jinyoung’s face, Seongwu enters his room to see Daniel lying in bed and enjoying his favorite comic books and gummy candies.

“What was Jingyoungie doing here?”  
“Ah, he wanted to know how can he be sure of his feeling for another person,” says Daniel with a grin on his face. “I think he’s into someone~”

Almost immediately, Seongwu doesn’t have a good feeling about this — knowing that his boyfriend is probably clueless about what’s going on between their group’s handsome Emperor Hwang and cute real life version of Syaoran.

“…And what did you say?”  
“I just told him that there are few things he can look into. Like whether his mood is affected by that person’s action and words, or whether he finds himself wanting to be physically close or intimate with that person.”

Daniel is still chewing on his gummy candies with pure innocence in his eyes, and Seongwu can’t help cursing how his sixth sense never fails him.

“…You better not let Minhyun know about this,” says Seongwu through gritted teeth.  
“Huh? What does Minhyun hyung has to do with it?”

Seongwu can only sigh as he tosses his laundry in the basket. Yes, Daniel can be really dense at times.

“Minhyun has feeling for Jinyoungie, and Jinyoungie knows.”  
“WHAT?!”  
“But he doesn’t want to persuade or influence Jinyoung in any way for a reason. Jinyoung really cares about Minhyun although he probably only sees Minhyun as nothing more than a hyung. He may do stuffs just to make Minhyun happy because he doesn’t want to hurt Minhyun. Not saying he will really do it but we never know, Minhyun just doesn’t want to make Jinyoung questions about himself.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe it's been almost a month since my last update and I apologize for that... Weekend classes + writer's block :( Thanks everyone for all the comments!

With only few more months to go before their contract is up, Wanna One has only been getting more busy. Their bodies can only take so much and to everyone’s dismay, it’s Jinyoung falling ill this time. Being the responsible person he is, Jinyoung managed to complete the performance. He began to vomit in cold sweats right after he got off the stage and he was taken to the hospital immediately.

Their manager has just finished giving Daehwi instruction regarding Jiyoung’s medication when Minhyun arrives within minutes upon hearing news that Jinyoung has returned from the hospital. 

“How’s Jinyoungie doing?”  
“He just took medication so he’s in bed rest now.”

Minhyun carefully opens the door and walks in to see Jinyoung sleeping peacefully after taking meds. Feeling relieved, Minhyun is about to leave the room when Jinyoung’s cell phone starts to vibrate. His first reaction is to turn off the buzzing so it won’t disturb Jinyoung’s sleep, but the familiar caller ID catches Minhyun’s attention immediately when he reaches for the phone.

It’s none other than his NU'EST brother, Minki.

Not wanting to answer Jinyoung’s phone without the younger’s permission, Minhyun turns off Jinyoung’s phone and carefully puts it back. He then return to the living room and dial Minki’s number with his own.

 

 **Minhyun:** Hey.  
**Minki:** Oh hey buddy! What’s up?  
**Minhyun:** Jinyoung is sleeping now after coming back from the hospital, thought I should let you know since I saw you calling him a moment ago.  
**Minki:** Ahh so you were the one who rejected my call. What happened to him? Is he alright?  
**Minhyun:** He was pretty sick today and he vomited after a show. Luckily he doesn’t have any more schedule today so should be getting better after a good bed rest. Do you need something from him? Should I pass on a message?  
**Minki:** I had a miss call from him last night so I was just calling him back. It’s okay, I’ll text him instead. Did you take care of him? I thought you guys live in different floors now.  
**Minhyun:** No I just came up to check on him when I heard he’s back.  
**Minki:** Geez you’re so whipped XD  
**Minhyun:** …Shut up.

 

————————————-

 

< NU'EST dorm >

Dongho looks up when Minki returns with a knowing grin on his face.

“What are you smiling at? It’s creepy.”  
“I just called Jinyoungie but he was sleeping. Guess who switched off his cell phone and called me back separately?”  
“Who?”  
“Minhyunnie, he called me just to basically tell me that Jinyoung was sleeping so I shouldn’t bother him.”

Now it’s Dongho’s turn too to have a smile on his face.

“He’s so whipped.”  
“I know right? Why does he have to make things so complicated?”  
“Because Minhyun has a lot on his mind, not to mention his own life and career,” says Aron. “Jinyoung-sshi, us, and Wanna One”

Minhyun came out to his NU'EST brothers during his last visit to his former dorm. Having known Minhyun longer than anyone else in the industry, they all understand very well what are Minhyun’s biggest worries.

“…Still, that doesn’t mean he should give up,” Minki says softly. “So, are we still going to do what Jinyoungie asked us?”

If two people have feeling for each other, they’d want to be physically intimate with each other — that’s the idea Jinyoung is getting from Daniel and Seongwu’ situation, as well as Minhyun’s action toward him in Chile that night. Since Jinyoung is not sure if he can be intimate with a guy — and he can’t really ask Minhyun and other Wanna One members for help — he hesitantly reached out to Minki.

“Yeah, and I’ll do it.’

All three turn to look at Jonghyun, who has been listening but doesn’t join the conversation until now.

“What changed your mind?”

Dongho asked, remembering how Jonghyun was completely against the idea. Jonghyun shrugged.

“It’ll be the most effective if I do it. Minhyunnie thinks he’s doing what’s best in Jinyoung’s interest, but he’s actually pushing Jinyoung towards a more dangerous situation.”

Jonghyun pauses briefly before continuing.

“I’ll schedule a time with Jinyoung and you guys can bring Minhyun over.”

Minki, Aron and Dongho exchange glances.

“Why?”  
“Because I want Minhyun to see it.”  
“…You are so evil.”  
“Hey only because I really care about Minhyunnie okay?”

 

—————————-

 

Everything in life — especially the entertainment industry — can change in split second. No one knows where did the tabloids and online media manage to find materials to write about Minhyun — who’s famous for being “solo since birth” — and a female celebrity, but the Internet and fandom war blow up anyways. 

Although the NU'EST boys are also concerned about how Minhyun is taking all of these, they believe other Wanna One members will make sure their friend and brother is okay. Luckily the scandal dies down rather quickly simply because it’s just not true.

What they don’t expect to see is Jinyoung showing up at their door one night, in a simple black hoodie and without an umbrella.

“Why the fuck did you not bring an umbrella when it’s raining so hard???!!!” Minki literally has to control his tone when he opens the door to see a rain drenched Jinyoung standing there. 

“Does anyone know you’ll be coming here?” 

Dongho asks with his eyebrows furrowed, and he takes out his phone almost immediately when Jinyoung silently shakes his head.

“You bastard, I’m calling —-“

Before Dongho has a chance to dial a number and before Jingyoung can stop him, Jisung’s caller ID is already showing up on Dongho’s cell phone screen.

“It’s Jisung hyung.”  
“Hyung please don’t tell them just yet!!”  
“BAE JINYOUNG!!”

Dongho’s phone is still ringing in the background when Jonghyun raises his voice. He walks up and grabs the younger boy's arms.

“You go take a shower right now, I’ll talk to Jisung hyung.”  
“But —”  
“I need to tell him that you are okay and then we’ll talk, I promise.”

Jingyoung’s pleading eyes finally seem to calm down a bit, as he nods and lets Minki push him toward the shower room. Letting out a sigh, Jonghyun takes over Dongho’s phone.

 

 **Jonghyun:** Jisung hyung? It’s me, Jonghyun.  
**Jisung:** Oh thank you so much for picking up, I just want to know if Jinyoung is with you guys.  
**Jonghyun:** Yes he’s here in our dorm, he just got here.  
**Jisung:** THANK GOODNESS!!!!! Daehwi came to me and told me that Jinyoung disappeared, and he wasn’t picking up his phone. Should I ask manager hyung to pick him up?  
**Jonghyun:** No hyung, actually please let Jinyoung stay for a bit… I promised him that we’ll have time to talk after he takes a hot shower, he didn’t bring an umbrella.  
**Jisung:** …It’s about Minhyun then, Jinyoung has been a bit off lately.  
**Jonghyun:** Yes I assume… We’ll bring Jinyoung back to you guys’ dorm afterward, don’t worry.  
**Jisung:** Thank you so much, I’ll tell manager hyung that if he asks. And… please talk to Jinyoungie, I think there are things he doesn’t feel comfortable telling us because we’re literally together 24/7.  
**Jonghyun:** I will. Is Minhyun around?  
**Jisung:** No he and a few others are still doing schedule. I’m glad he’s not here though, because he’s going to be so worried, loses all sense of logic like crazy and that’s not gonna help me.


	6. Chapter 6

It’s past midnight when Aron and Jonghyun drive Jinyoung back to Wanna One’s dorm. Jinyoung quietly stares out to the window as his mind ponders over what Jonghyun said to him earlier —

 

_I think you already have an answer regarding your feeling for Minhyun._  
_If not, you wouldn’t have come all the way here with such sad face in the first place._

 

“Jonghyun hyung it’s been a while!”  
“Hey Kuanlin how have you been?”

Before the grinning Kuanlin can continue with his happy greeting with Jonghyun, a very much less cheerful Woojin and Jihoon step out from behind Kuanlin and drag Jinyoung through the door.

“Bae Jinyoung that wasn’t funny!!”  
“Please don’t do it ever again I’m begging you.”  
“Shh!! It’s already late so you two please lower your voice,” Jisung walks over, ushering the angry Sausage Squad and poor Jinyoung into the living room before turning to Jonghyun. “Jonghyun ah, thank you so much.”

Jonghyun flashes his signature smile to the Wanna One leader, peeking over Jisung’s shoulders to see quite a few Wanna One members are here and not just the ones who live on this floor. There he sees Minhyun hugging Jinyoung and talking with the youngster with a frown on his face, probably something along the lines of “don’t you ever disappear without telling anyone” type of thing.

Minhyun looks up just in time when Jonghyun is looking at his direction. He quickly walks toward the entrance to greet his good friend.

“Sorry to have you come all the way here this late, did you come here by yourself?”  
“No, Aron hyung drove us here so he’s waiting down there…," says Jonghyun, seeing Jinyoung is away and surrounded by others who are bombarding him with questions. "Actually, Minhyunnie do you have a moment? There’s something I need to talk to you about in private, and you can say hi to Aron hyung.”

Jonghyun shifts his attention to Jisung.

“Hyung do you mind? I’ll make it as short as possible.”  
“Is it about…that?”  
“Yes, that.”

Glancing back and forth between his two leaders, Minhyun wonders what are Jonghyun and Jisung playing at. The next thing he knows, Jisung already agrees to Jonghyun’s request and he is accompanying Jonghyun back to the parking lot.

 

————————-

 

Jinyoung checks his cell phone for the first time today with his eyes barely managed to stay open when Wanna One is on the way to their last schedule. He aimlessly scrolls down looking for unread message and then he sees a private one from Minhyun —

 

_Jonghyun told me everything._

 

Eyes widen in shock, Jinyoung hesitantly turns around only to see Minhyun taking a quick nap with his earphones on. 

 

_Come to my room after today’s work, I need to talk to you._

 

————————-

 

Minhyun is sitting alone on his bed when Jinyoung carefully enters the room, and he can’t help smiling at how nervous the younger boy looks.

“Come here, I don't bite,” says Minhyun, patting the empty space next to him trying to light up the mood.

Before coming to 9th floor, Jinyoung has been thinking a lot about what he should say to Minhyun. 

“…Hyung, I… I’m very sorry.”

The first thing that naturally comes out of Jinyoung’s mouth is apology, as nothing else seems to be more appropriate now as he stands before Minhyun. He is still pondering over how Minhyun must be so disappointed in him when he finds himself already in Minhyun’s embrace. 

“No, it’s my fault.”

 

**~~~Flashback~~~**

 

The air inside Aron’s car is heavy and deadly silent as Minhyun shakily scrolls down the screen of Jonghyun’s phone, showing the group chat conversation his Nu’est brothers shared with Jinyoung.

 

_His Jinyoung — someone so precious and so dear to his heart — wants to find out whether he would be okay with guys, so he is asking other guys to help him to “experiment.”_

 

“You of all people should know that we would never lie to you,” Jonghyun sighs, taking his phone away from Minhyun’s grip. “I know it hurts because you care about him so much, but at least be thankful that he came to us instead of someone random who might have really done something to him.”

“And your random, out-of-nowhere scandal pops up at perfect timing, he just ran to us because he didn’t know what to do,” Aron added.

Minhyun buries his face in his palms.

“I thought I was doing it for his best interest… He wanted to see what he could do to return my feeling and just to make me happy. He’s so young and I shouldn’t be dragging him into this.”  
“…Really? Are you not doing this just to make yourself feel better?”

Minhyun can feel his body tensed up before he looks to Jonghyun in disbelieve and confusion. Jonghyun, on the other hand, looks as calm as usual — and serious.

“…What do you mean? Why would I — ”  
“You basically told him not to think at all, as if the whole thing has never happened in the first place. Let him decide for himself the reason why he gets panic when there’s a scandal involving you and a girl. Let him decide for himself whether you are taking advantage of him. I know he’s young, but he’s not going to be a little boy forever. Give him a chance to figure things out by himself, watch over him and support him — that’s what you should be doing.”

 

**~~~End of Flashback~~~**

 

Jinyoung quietly stays in Minhyun’s embrace and gently wraps his own arms around Minhyun’s waist as the older speaks. 

They move to sit on Minhyun’s bed and continue to talk face to face. Neither of them talks about the future, but it’s probably the first time in a while for them to be completely honest to each other.


End file.
